
John Sillett spent much of the profits from the 1987 Cup run to sign Speedie in July 1987. Sillett welcomed the Scottish striker by saying that the club record fee of £780,000 meant City were now shopping at Harrods instead of Woolworths. For the next three and half seasons Speedie was a major figure at the club although some argue that he destroyed the team spirit that existed before his arrival. After starting his career at Barnsley it was at Darlington that he started making a name for himself as a goalscorer. Chelsea signed him in 1982 and his partnership with Kerry Dixon helped catapult the Blues to promotion to Division One. In five years he scored 64 goals in 205 games and won five Scottish caps. ‘Speedo’ scored on his City debut against Tottenham but his goalscoring ratio was never prolific. Despite being only 5 feet 7 inches tall he was lethal in the air, using a combination of timing and athleticism to outleap defences. In 1988-89 season he twice scored a hat-trick of headers (against Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday) and in what was his best season he scored memorable chipped goals at Norwich and at home to Wimbledon. The following season injuries meant he was switched to a midfield role and although it was a pity to see him used in this way he won five more caps for his country. A brilliant player on his day, he also had a well-formed sense of injustice and a penchant for exacting random revenge. This undoubtedly restricted his international appearances and probably cost him a place in the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals.
In 1990 he was involved in an incident with one of the club’s vice-presidents and soon after Terry Butcher’s arrival as manager he was red-carded for verbally abusing a linesman. This, together with the arrival of Butcher probably signalled the end for Speedie but it was a surprise when at 31, he moved to Liverpool for £700,000. His stay at Anfield was short – Graeme Souness’s arrival in April 1991 hastened his departure – and Speedo later played for Blackburn, Southampton, West Ham and Leicester before hanging up his boots in 1994. He is now a football agent.
Hat tricks (2)
1988-89
1 October 1988 v Middlesbrough H
2 January 1989 v Sheffield Wednesday H
Red cards (2)
1989-90
17 January 1990 v Sunderland A, violent conduct, fighting with Gary Bennett
1990-91
1 December 1990 v Crystal Palace A, foul and abusive language






























































































































































































































































































































Scotland, 5 caps
1988-89
19 October 1988 Scotland v Yugoslavia, 1990 FIFA World Cup Group 5, 1-1, substitute
22 December 1988 Italy v Scotland, Perugia, Friendly, 2-0, substitute
8 February 1989 Cyprus v Scotland, Limassol, 1990 FIFA World Cup Group 5, 2-3, replaced
26 April 1989 Scotland v Cyprus, Hampden Park, 1990 FIFA World Cup Group 5, 2-1, substitute
30 May 1989 Scotland v Chile, Hampden Park, Rous Cup, 2-0, replaced
5 previous caps with Chelsea (total 10 caps)